Heineken to concentrate cider production in Hereford

Heineken has announced plans to invest £58m to modernise and increase cider production at its Bulmers site in Hereford, but is plans to downscale operations at its nearby Ledbury plant.

Cider apples - image: Rebecca Siegel

"This ambitious investment and modernisation programme will help us to secure hundreds of jobs in Herefordshire for the long term, and create some new jobs at the Hereford site," Heineken said in a statement.

It plans to move cider production and packaging from Ledbury to Hereford by late 2015, leaving Ledbury as a dedicated fruit milling site.

The company added: "The proposed transfer of production to Hereford does make it likely that we will require fewer jobs at the Ledbury site by the end of 2015, but the exact overall impact on jobs at both sites has yet to be finalised."